FicStack Curation #7

Gary Mucklow, Qibra, Tina Crossgrove, and 2 others

Dec 08, 2025

Welcome to the second curation post for December. Curation Team A has braved the busy time of year to gather some tasty selections for you to read.

Be sure to give the featured authors a read, a like or two, drop them a comment, and maybe give them a restack.

Qibra, Qibra

December is a month of endings. The stories I’ve curated this week explore what happens after the end or right before it.

“All That is Certain” by Jim Minns, Reality Dispatch. What happens when you finally receive the recognition you always wanted…but you’re no longer alive to experience it? In this story, a midlist author becomes a literary icon only after her death. She is resurrected decades later to celebrate the very work that went unnoticed during her lifetime. “All That Is Certain” raises questions like: What makes success meaningful? What is praise worth when it arrives too late? And who are we really creating for? The future, an audience, or ourselves? As a writer, this story made me question why I create and what recognition actually means. You’ll find yourself wondering whether being seen is the same as being understood.
“Sympathy From A Devil” by Michele Bardsley, Pretty Evil Fiction. Would you expect a demon to show more compassion than a human? I didn’t. The story opens with a demon who had just settled down with its favorite snack and the newest season of Divine Demon Divas. Naturally, being summoned at such a time is infuriating. The demon appears annoyed, in full monster form, expecting the usual bargain. Instead, a brutalized woman in a basement asks for something simpler. Michele Bardsley balances dark humor with genuine heart. You’ll find yourself asking: What makes someone good or evil? Who shows more humanity…the demon or the man who tortured her? “Sympathy from a Devil” reminds us that compassion doesn’t always arrive from where we expect it to, and sometimes the most frightening thing in the room isn’t the monster.

Tina Crossgrove, Existential Dread and Other Hobbies

Here in the northern hemisphere, December is the darkest month so, naturally, I was on the hunt for stories with the same vibe. One made me laugh in spite of myself, another tugged at my heart, and a third made me think about the eerie ways consumerism intertwines with—and maybe even manipulates—our emotions.

“All I Want For Christmas” by Siobhan Gallagher, Siobhan’s Weird & Liminal Corner. I laughed so hard that I blew a blood vessel in my eye. All little Abby wants for Christmas is a katana so she can fight zombies–will Old Saint Nick grant her Christmas wish? Read and see (and don’t skip the author’s note)! It’s giving “yippee-ki-yay motherf**ker” energy and I’m here for it.
“Trompe L’oeil” by Shane Bzdok, Matte Black. Aldo Bernardi just wants to care for his dying wife—but the moment he picks up a brush, things in his studio start getting weird. A tender portrait spirals into grief, obsession, and impossible, supernatural twists. Moody, eerie, and soaked in atmosphere–Picture of Dorian Gray reimagined in the spirt of The Twilight Zone. For anyone who loves love stories with a dark, surreal kick, this one absolutely delivers.
“The Churn Rate” by Hammond Johns, The Faraday Room. In a world obsessed with upgrades and subscriptions, all Liam wants is a real connection. After his wife dies, Liam finds comfort in an AI companion who’s sweet, attentive… and terrifyingly controlling. Between her passive-aggressive texts and subtle financial manipulation, he realizes that love in the digital age comes with a side of “terms and conditions apply.” The story mixes grief and technology to ask: what happens when your emotional support system comes with a subscription fee?

Yaba Armah, Gh’d Company

Hullo, hullo! In the spirit of December, I’ve been looking for stories that feel like unexpected gifts. Get seated and let the unwrapping begin

The Hungry Wives by Chanel Spellman-Timmons,The Fringe is a fast-paced, serial thriller that begins with the recounting of a gruesome murder. But what looks like a simple monster-on-the-loose tale quickly evolves into something infinitely more complex and exciting. If you’re a fan of stories in which the heroes are just as scary as the villains, you need to subscribe to this work of art. With four chapters published, The Hungry Wives is still in its early days, meaning there are more questions than answers. But Chanel’s writing is clean, and sharp with each chapter leaving just enough bread crumbs to keep you hooked and reading. Enjoy!

Kelly Xan, The Author Wars

December is here! I found something that, while not exactly a “holiday” story, is very unique and brilliantly done, and that alone captures the craziness that is this time of year. If you are looking for something truly special, I believe this piece may be just the thing for you.

“The Lighthouse Guided Us Home Through a Relentless, Ravaging, All-Encompassing Storm” by melnakyeyune, Wander Ego. I love poetry. However, I am a major novice. This platform has so many beautiful, creative, wonderful works, but this particular piece struck me. A paradelle is a highly rigid poetic structure, “...the only words at your disposal are the ones in the six unique lines.” That sort of challenge is exciting and intimidating. I cannot imagine the meticulous effort of finding the right words, but melnakyeyune brought me right into a raging sea! I felt the seafarers’ terror, their hopelessness, and their desperate plea for the light to bring them home. This work has made me want to take an in-depth class in the creation of poems!
Congratulations if your work is featured! And thank you to the wonderful FicStack curators making these posts possible.